The Newsdesk 01.09.09 – Watchmen Producers Speak; A Dark Knight at the DGAs

Posted by Haley Tomsheck

9 years ago

• The war of words over Watchmen continues, with producer Lloyd Levin defending Warner Bros. right to make the movie in an open letter. Meanwhile, Larry Gordon, the producer at the center of the courtroom tussle, fired off an angry letter of his own to the judge arbitrating the case, blaming 20th Century Fox and his own lawyers. The plot thickens, but won’t be resolved until January 20.

• The Dark Knight continues to gain Oscar heat, this time with Christopher Nolan scoring a Director’s Guild of America nomination. Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, and Milk also scored nods for their respective helmers. This is could definitely be the best picture line-up come Oscar night.

• Meanwhile, Slumdog Millionaire is starting to look like this year’s “little movie that could,” winning best picture at the Critics’ Choice Awards. Hope you aren’t award season-ed out yet–we still have the Golden Globes, the SAGs, the Independent Spirit Awards, the Golden Raisinets… OK, I made that last one up.

• Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, and Atonement‘s Saoirse Ronan have all signed on to Peter Weir’s latest film, The Way Back. Weir (Witness, Master and Commander) doesn’t make movies all that often, so when he does, they tend to attract A-list talent.

Reuters – President-elect Barack Obama backs a move to delay
a mandatory switch to digital television signals on fears viewers are
unprepared and as the government has run out of coupons to help pay for
converter boxes.

CAMP FREDDY —
the Los Angeles-based “jam” band featuring Dave Navarro (ex-JANE’S
ADDICTION, REDHOT CHILI PEPPERS), Billy Morrison (ex-THE CULT
bassist, current CIRCUS DIABLO vocalist), Matt Sorum (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N’
ROSES), Donovan Leitch (son of legendary folk singer Donovan), and Chris Chaney
(JANE’S ADDICTION, ALANIS MORRISETTE) — will perform at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on January 19. The group
writes on its web site, “The gig is at Harry O’s on Main Street. The band have appeared at
the festival on a few occasions and as usual, will bring a friend or two with
them. Wrap up warm!!”

Don’t get me wrong I love the Golden Globes TV show. You can
see it this Sunday on NBC. What other awards telecast sits dressed-to-thrill
stars at tables and serves up booze in large quantities prompting loose lips
and the delicious possibility of embarrassing acceptance speeches?

When news was came recently that director Guillermo del Toro
was writing a series of vampire novels with author Chuck Hogan, headlines and
columns across the internet rang out in chorus: committed for the next four years to “The Hobbit” and some half
dozen projects after that, del Toro was already straining, spreading himself
too thin. He would never — how could he ever — possibly find the time?

Discovery Channel is set to unveil a sweeping new
programming slate that includes a series about infomercial pitchmen and a rare
venture into scripted programming with a movie inspired by the success of
“Deadliest Catch.”

The plan for Led
Zeppelin‘s Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham to tour and record
an album with a singer other than Robert Plant is “completely over now,” Page’s manager Peter
Mensch tells Music Radar